Book Review: Bro-Jitsu The Martial Art of Sibling Smackdown by Daniel H. Wilson

Bro-Jitsu The Martial Art of Sibling Smackdown by Daniel H. Wilson

In a surprising departure for Daniel H. Wilson, Ph.D. in Robotics from MIT, he's written a book about how siblings fight each other for family supremacy (or just for fun). He doesn't look at the whys or wherefores, just what they do to each other (e.g. punching, kicking, taunting, double dog daring, cat butting, etc.). The book is divided into sections on offensive techniques, defensive techniques, and psychological warfare. It has the same tongue-in-cheek style of his other short books like Where's My Jetpack? and How to Survive a Robot Uprising.

Wilson also discusses when to bring in parents as referees and when not to. These tidbits are especially helpful as a parent so I can discern when someone is trying to get out of trouble or get someone into trouble. It will make parents better managers of sibling relationships.

This book is a fun read and brought back sibling warfare memories. I just can't let it fall into the hands of my four- and six-year olds. They don't need any more ideas on how to get on each others nerves!

Sample Text: The Sacred Vow of Bro-Jitsu [pp. 9-10]

• I promise I will never hit my sibling in the face, even if (s)he always breaks my stuff and gets away with it, too.
• I will strive to physically and mentally torture my siblings to make them stronger, better people. But I will do my best to never injure or scar them permanently.
• I will never team up with outsiders against my sibling because we are joined by an unbreakable bond of kinship. Plus, I will be in a lot of trouble with Mom if anything ever happens to my sibling.
• I will continue to refine and improve the techniques of Bro-Jitsu long after reaching adulthood so that my siblings will never grow soft--and so that they will never forget how freaking awesome I am and how much they totally suck.

Book Review: Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson

Robopocalypse: A Novel by Daniel H. Wilson

A British hacker, a U.S. congresswomen, and a Japanese scientist walk into an apocalypse...Sounds like the beginning of one of those jokes you remember hearing but can't repeat because it is far too complicated and if you try to tell it, you'll miss some key set ups for the punchline. How did that punchline go again?

Like a fine tuned joke, Daniel H. Wilson's Robopocalypse is a tightly intertwined narrative of a near-future robot uprising lead by the malicious artificial intelligence Archos. Archos is a program that some computer scientists have been trying and trying to perfect but can't quite seem to get right. Eventually, Archos manages to free himself from his captors/creators. He is able to direct all the other robots (who have been integrated into almost every facet of life) and begins a war against humanity. The robot apocalypse has begun.

The story is told through a variety of personal narratives that have been collected after the end of the war, much like Max Brooks' World War Z. At first the different stories don't seem related. A British hacker named Lurker stumbles into contact with the villianous AI. A U. S. congresswomen supports a "robot defense act" that would put limits on robot use (and thus frustrate Archos's plans); her children are threatened by their toy robots. A Japanese factory worker has a companion robot that runs amok.  Many other characters populate the story. Eventually, they come in contact with each other and all contribute to the war on robots in one way or another.

The story moves quickly and is an exciting read. Thematically it isn't too deep--the standard stuff about what it is to be human and can robots be human, etc., is presented but no new insights or ideas come up. The book earns a place in the pantheon of technothrillers like Jurassic Park and The Cardinal of the Kremlin.

Oh yeah, and there's a new sort of zombie towards the end of the book that was scary and gross and well done. Thanks Dr. Wilson!

For parents: there is some bloody violence throughout the book, some minor sexual innuendo, and swearing. You know your child best, but I would say this is good for young teenagers and up.

Max Brooks Vs. Daniel H. Wilson, Ph. D.

 Inspired by the recent non-successful Scott Pilgrim vs. the World movie, I’ve decided to write a couple of dual reviews that will also be duel reviews. Today it’s Max Brooks’ seminal work, The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead (hereafter ZSG), against Daniel H. Wilson’s How to Build a Robot Army: Tips on Defending Planet Earth Against Alien Invaders, Ninjas, and Zombies (hereafter HBRA).

Max Brooks, son of famous film maker Mel, wrote for Saturday Night Live for three years. He has also made a name for himself in zombie pop culture. In addition to ZSG and its graphic novel spin-off ZSG: Recorded Attacks, he’s written an oral history of a world wide zombie outbreak called World War Z. The story has been produced as an audio book and is on its way to the silver screen. He’s the sort of expert who you want to have quoted on the back of your zombie novel or reference work.

Daniel H. Wilson, Ph.D., received his doctorate from the Robotics Institute of Carnegie Mellon University and has written several other humorous tech books like How To Survive a Robot Uprising and Where's My Jetpack?: A Guide to the Amazing Science Fiction Future that Never Arrived in addition to writing for Popular Mechanics magazine. He knows the latest in state-of-the-art robotics. He definitely has the technical savvy for helping us deal with the undead.

Both books are humorous looks at practical advice for extreme disaster preparedness. ZSG is more thorough in this regard, looking at what causes zombies, what weapons work best and how best to deal with the hordes when on the defensive, on the run or on the offensive. The humor is very dry and far too sparse for my tastes. Brooks apes the survival guide style a little too well. The book is almost too serious and too thorough. Consider the list of public buildings reviewed as possible defensive strongholds: office buildings, schools, hospitals, police stations, retail stores, supermarkets, shopping malls, churches, warehouses, piers and docks, shipyards, banks, cemeteries, capitols and city halls. No less of an authority than my wife agrees with me that the best part of the book is the imaginative history of zombie outbreaks (starting from pre-historic times ending with 2002 A.D.) that follows the practical advice.

Wilson’s HBRA obviously focuses more on the current and expected development of robots. From pet robots and vacuum cleaners to micro-bots and unmanned vehicles, each bot is explained thoroughly. Then Wilson describes (less thoroughly) how to alter them for defense or offense. His humor is more constant and made me laugh out loud in several places, something I don’t remember while reading ZSG. He has a natural conversational style that is engaging and fun. The zombie content is pretty low but on the money. Consider this piece of advice: “Suffering a zombie bite is emotionally traumatic for humans--so let a cold, impartial robot make the logical decision to take you out. The robot will dispatch you with surgical precision and none of the sappy dialogue that usually accompanies violent partings between wives and husbands, best friends, or owners and pets.” [p. 163] Wilson definitely has his finger on the pulse of current robotics and current pop culture, with advice on how to use robots against aliens, vampires, Godzilla, werewolves, great white sharks, asteroids, ninjas, mummies, pirates and zombies. Clearly, he saved the best for last.

My conclusion is that Wilson’s HBRA is the more entertaining and technically astute read, while Brooks’ ZSG is a better preparation for the inevitable zombie apocalypse. If you can read only one, I’d recommend How to Build a Robot Army.

Winner:


Loser: